Where to find protein in Vietnam

1) GNC

GMC is a chain of supplement stores which operate all over the world, including Vietnam. They mainly sell own brand products, such as creatine, BCAA’s, glutamine, protein, casein and weight gainer. But when it comes to protein, GNC Vietnam is probably the biggest ripoff that I have ever seen. Globally. A 1kg tub of own brand whey was the equivalent of £80. When I questioned this price, the staff told me it was due to import taxes. I subsequently found one of the supplements store listed below in Ho Chi Minh City and bought a 2.2kg tub of Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard protein powder for a little over half of that. GNC is a total rip off and, unless its some kind of protein based emergency, then you should avoid this place.

2) Gyms

Probably the easiest place to find supplements in Vietnam is in the bigger gyms. There often have small shops in the reception and tend to sell everything from supplements to sports clothing and gloves. You need to be ready to pay the slightly inflated cost of buying protein here, but this is the same as it would in the UK, USA or Australia. But set this off against the cost and time of hunting down a store and you might decide it is worth it. Here are some of the best gyms stores that I found:

Whilst they are far rarer than back home, I have seen a few of these shops around. There are usually the best place to buy protein in the city and you will usually get the best price. Expect to find all the brands you are familiar with and even a few new ones.

If you can find somewhere, or someone, to accept delivery for you, then the cheapest place to buy supplements is always online. Check out this site, but be careful about delivery times as I do not know how long the postal service in Vietnam takes or how reliable it is.5) Bring it with you.